His sands lifted us higher, zooming us across the river in the direction of the red land visible far off in the distance. "Will they be okay on the ship?" I gasped between kisses, my brain spinning as I sought to remember the others. "I didn't wake any of them to steer."
"The ship is safe," he said, lifting his head so his eyes could stare into the core of my essence. "I would never risk them. Now, forget everything else, and focus on us. This is your only need to be filled."
Need.He couldn't have picked a more accurate word, and I was instantly reminded of the conversation I'd had with Mera a few hours earlier. It wasn't weakness to give into the demands of my body. I could do this and be a warrior. It was time for me to stop stereotyping myself and just enjoy the ride. In all ways.
Living in the Desert Lands with Reece had been my childhood hope and dream, and we should never have let ourselves fall apart as we had. It was time for a new future.
Maybe… even some hope.
"They'd be happy, you know." The words slipped out as memories of the past filled my mind. Maybe it was the red sands or the new knowledge that there was a tattered bond between Reece and me, waiting to be finally dashed or fully formed, but either way, I was stuck in the past for a moment.
"Who would?" he asked as he followed my line of sight into the endless Rohami sands we approached.
"Our families."
Pulling my gaze back to him, he lowered me to his sands, and I wished I hadn’t said a damn word. We were supposed to be keeping this casual… unemotional. Reminding us both of our past and the love we’d shared was the surest way to remember the betrayal and pain too.
Not a healthy path in moving forward or changing our narrative as I’d previously hoped.
Reece didn’t answer, and as I sought a subject change to get us back to the sexy vibe we’d had before, he reached up and brushed his hand across my cheek. "They loved you," he murmured. My throat grew tight at the emotion in his tone. "Mother always told me that you were the epitome of honor and strength. She told me I was the lucky one to have you, and I think that's why I took the betrayal so hard."
I didn't have to ask for clarification on what betrayal.
"Guess I ended up being a disappointment," I conceded. "But for what it's worth, I loved them too. I loved your entire family and considered them mine as well." Despite their flaws, and fascination with power, his parents—and mine—were worthy of our love.
Reece, wearing an oddly blank expression, shook his head. "You wouldn't have disappointed them, Lale. They would have understood your choices that day. I expected you to carry us all in a fight that wasn’t even yours. A fight where you lost Leka. I should have tried harder to understand, and I’m the reason we spent so many years apart. If I could go back..."
Every part of me was screaming in both sorrow and joy, the emotions mixed and mangled together until I was a mess. Reece had finally given me the grace I’d been desperately craving as I’d punished myself through the years in failed attempts to make amends.
In the end, our world had never been made up of black and white morals, good and bad deeds, or betrayal and hate. There was more than one side to a coin, and acknowledging that might give us a shot at finally moving forward.
"We can’t go back," I reminded him. "So, let's not waste this chance to move forward."
Our gazes locked, and the flames burning deep in the galaxy of his power warmed me to my core. "My sentiments exactly," he rumbled.
I lifted my head and initiated our kiss, and once again I found myself off the ground, legs around his waist as I arched into him. His left hand slid up my spine to tangle in the strands at the back of my braid, pulling my face into his. Reece kissed with the sort of intensity that could destroy worlds. It near destroyed me, so I was most certain of this fact. Opening my mouth, I let his tongue stroke across mine. The more I tasted him, the more I wanted, and with a groan I wrapped my hands around his neck, pulling our bodies as close as was possible.
By the time Reece's sands began to descend, I was breathing heavy, my lower body aching. This was the point where I was ready to claw his clothing off. "We need to be naked," I muttered, feeling put out that I wasn't having an orgasm already.
Reece's husky laughter didn't help the situation. "You've been spending too much time with Mera. Patience... You should have learned it by now."
Oh, was that right? I arched my back and ground against him, feeling the strain of his hard length through our clothing. Reece's eyes darkened to midnight, the flash of stars and galaxies brighter than ever, and I knew my expression was smug as I smiled.
His growl was impressive. "Yeah, you’re right. Fuck patience." Hot sands washed over us, and within a beat, I was completely naked. As my breasts fell free, Reece leaned over and closed his mouth over my right nipple, teeth scraping as he applied pressure before he swirled his tongue across the peak. By the time he moved onto the left, I was groaning, both hands gripping the back of his head.
Even though I loved his warrior look, with closely shaved dark hair, at this moment I wished he had something for me to grip. When he lifted his head, I met his gaze, my panting breaths loud and shallow.
"No more patience,” he repeated, lowering me to my feet. My legs took a second to hold me up, but once I found my equilibrium, I was able to stand and look at where he'd taken us.
"This is the outer territory of Rohami," he said, grasping my hands and sliding his fingers through mine as he led me toward what looked like a sand dune rising about thirty feet above the flat plane.
"Why did you choose this area?" I asked, looking around for an answer.
His grip tightened as he pulled me forward. "I found a grotto."
My feet ground to a halt, and for a beat I wondered if I’d misheard him. “Sorry, what did you say?”
He’d stopped with me, turning fully to face me. “It took me nearly a hundred thousand moons, but I finally found one.”
